Menu
Browse
Best casinos
July’26Bonuses
Reviews
Slots
Free spins
Free spins by type
0$No-deposit FS Free
$+Deposit FS
↑No-wagering FS Best
🎁Free spins on signup
Popular slots
SBSweet Bonanza FS
SBStarburst FS
Guides
News
›On this page
Top 10 ranking
›Compare casinos
›How we rank
›Payment methods
›FAQ
›Editorial team
›★ See top bonus →
Showing offers for your region
No Australian licence covers real-money online pokies — that single fact frames every Book of 99 session from here. Relax Gaming's Greek-myth book pokie pairs a class-leading 99% theoretical RTP with high volatility, 5×3 reels and 10 fixed paylines, a 99-book collection meter and a provider-stated 5,000× cap (12,075× exists only in aggregator simulations). Below: the legal free-demo route, our A$ bankroll maths and the AU picture no rival explains.
Our slot scoring isn't a single hand-wavy number. We grade RTP and maths, volatility honesty, bonus design, feature depth, audio-visual craft and mobile — separately, with evidence, and with the editor's name on it.
Book of 99 dresses a familiar book-slot engine in Ancient Greek myth — Odysseus stands as the top premium, with Cyclops, Calypso and Kirki filling out the reels. Bold vector outlines, warm Mediterranean colour and tidy symbol art give it a clean cartoon identity that carries well on a phone.
The expanding-symbol reveal is where the presentation earns its keep. Before free spins begin, one mythical character is chosen at random; during the round it expands to fill its reel and pays across every position. It's a simple flourish, but it turns the bonus into the visual centrepiece of the game rather than a quiet add-on.
Where it shows its limits is originality. There's no cinematic intro and no elaborate particle work — the theme is well-worn book-slot ground executed cleanly. That's a functional, characterful build rather than a spectacle, which is why the visual & audio dimension lands at 7.8/10 rather than higher.
The base-game audio is understated Mediterranean pastiche — a soft lyre-flavoured loop and gentle percussion that suit the Odyssey theme. It's built for long, patient sessions rather than a wall of noise, and it never grates on repeat.
The soundtrack earns its keep as the 99-book collection meter climbs. Each banked book nudges the mix, and when the free-spins round opens and the random symbol expands, the audio lifts to underline the moment the top wins can land. Enter the bonus and the theme swells to match.
It is a modern 2021 mix, so the SFX are clean and well-balanced, but the audio is a supporting act to the collection meter and the expanding symbol rather than the headline. That's the right call for a high-variance value pokie built around one feature.
The conceit is Homer's Odyssey in cartoon form: Odysseus, Cyclops, Calypso and Kirki across five reels. Underneath the familiar book-slot packaging sits a high-RTP, high-volatility engine built to give back 99% over the long run — the value, not a huge headline win, is the point.
The 99-book collection meter is the real hook. Every book and wild banks toward 99, and that visible progress creates a "sunk-progress" pull — the closer the meter climbs, the harder it is to walk away before free spins land. It reframes a plain book pokie as something with a running goal.
For Australian players it sits in a specific niche: a recognisable Relax Gaming name with the best RTP in its class, playable at low stakes. The A$0.10 minimum makes it easy to try, and the demo lets you feel the variance before you deposit — worth doing, because a High-volatility book pokie plays very differently to its calm RTP number.
The first stretch of spins tells you what Book of 99 is: rated High volatility with a published hit frequency of 29.83% (one indicative source), so dry spells are real and the balance can slide before anything meaningful lands. This is not a calm ride despite the calm RTP.
The dividing line is the free spins, reached two ways: land 3+ book scatters on a spin, or fill the 99-book collection meter in the base game. When the round opens, one symbol is chosen at random and expands to fill its reel — that's where the top wins come from. It's a genuine idea, but retriggers aside it's a single feature with little variety.
The upside of the 99% RTP is long-run value — roughly a 1% house edge on turnover, about the best in slots. The downside is the ceiling: a provider-stated 5,000× cap (aggregator simulations reach up to 12,075×, a simulated figure, not Relax Gaming's stated cap) and no jackpot. It's a value game, not a max-win chase.
An 8.0 is a strong "recommended, with a clear profile" score. Book of 99 does one thing better than almost anything in its class — value — and asks you to accept high variance and a single feature to get it. Here's how each line item came together.
What pulled the score up: the maths. A class-leading 99.00% theoretical RTP means roughly a 1% house edge versus the ~4% of a typical 96% pokie — genuinely player-friendly value. The volatility label is High and the game plays High, so the rating is straight with you rather than flattering.
What kept the score below 9: the bonus design (7.0) and feature depth (7.2). It is a single free-spins round built on one random expanding symbol; retriggers aside there's little variety, there's no bonus buy and no jackpot, and the provider-stated 5,000× cap is modest for a high-variance slot.
The decision. FOR — patient, RTP-aware players who play the demo first and bring a real reserve to ride the swings. NOT FOR — casual A$20 sessions, max-win chasers, and bonus hunters: a 99% RTP is exactly the sort of return many casinos exclude or weight-restrict from wagering, so it can void a deposit match. When the maths suits you and you're ready to play, see our audited real-money pokies casinos for Australian players.
Book of 99 is the value-hunter's book pokie, not the biggest-max-win one. A class-leading 99% RTP and the 99-book collection meter keep the long-run value on your side — but the variance is High and the 5,000× cap is modest, so play it for the value and the meter, not a jackpot it doesn't have.
The free Book of 99 demo (play-money credits, no sign-up, no deposit) lets you test this Greek-myth, Odyssey-themed pokie instantly and feel the high volatility and the 99-book meter. Note the honest AU picture: online pokies can't be lawfully offered to Australians, so Book of 99 is offshore-only — always verify current terms at the operator, and read the legality section below before you fund anything.
Click to load the Book of 99 demo
Play-money credits · no download, no sign-up · 18+ · play responsiblyWe are clear about the limits of a hands-on check: a single session is far too small to derive a meaningful return figure. So below we report Relax Gaming's published numbers — the theoretical RTP and the one indicative hit-frequency figure — alongside qualitative notes from our own play, never a figure taken from a single session. The only RTP number we quote is Relax Gaming's theoretical 99.00%.
Pick a bankroll, a bet and a target session length. We apply Relax Gaming's 99.00% RTP as a flat 1% house edge on turnover — the long-run cost of putting money through the game, not a prediction of any single session. The edge applies to turnover (every A$ you wager), never to your deposit.
| Bankroll | Bet / spin | Raw spins | Expected house take |
|---|---|---|---|
| A$50 | A$0.10 | 500 | ~A$0.50 |
| A$100 | A$0.20 | 500 | ~A$1.00 |
| A$100 | A$1.00 | 100 | ~A$1.00 |
| A$250 | A$0.50 | 500 | ~A$2.50 |
Beyond the 99% RTP and the high-volatility label, what really matters is how Book of 99 feels to play. We break down the Book's dual Wild-and-Scatter role, the 99-book collection meter, the two free-spins triggers, the random expanding symbol that drives the top wins, and what the game deliberately leaves out — across six tabs.
In the base game the Book is the symbol that matters. It is both a Wild — substituting for every paying symbol to complete a line — and a Scatter that pays on its own and can launch the bonus. On top of that, every Book you collect during base spins is banked on the 99-book collection meter. That meter is Book of 99's signature idea: fill it to 99 and the free-spins round launches on its own, with no scatter spin needed. There is no bonus buy — the feature has to arrive in play.
Book of 99 gives you two routes into the same free-spins round. Path A is the classic scatter trigger: land 3 or more Book scatters on a single spin and you win 10 free spins. Path B is the added route that sets the game apart — fill the 99-book collection meter in the base game and the same 10 free spins launch, even on a spin with no three scatters. Whichever path opens the round, one mythical character symbol is chosen at random before the free spins begin to act as the expanding symbol.
The single feature Book of 99 leans on is the expanding symbol. Before the free spins spin off, the game picks one mythical character at random — Odysseus, the Cyclops, Calypso or Kirki. During the round that symbol behaves like the book in Novomatic's classic template: wherever it lands it expands to fill the whole reel and pays scatter-style across every position, not just left-to-right on a line. That is where the top wins come from, and why a lucky pick of a high-value character can turn a quiet round into the game's best result.
A few Book of 99 questions get glossed over elsewhere, so here they are plainly. Yes, the round retriggers: land 3 or more Books during free spins and you win 10 more. When the round is opened by the 99-book meter rather than three scatters, the game still selects a random expanding symbol for that round the same way — Relax Gaming describes a single bonus round, so the expanding-symbol pick applies however you got in. And if the 99th Book lands mid-spin, that spin resolves first and the free-spins round begins after it. Any doubt on the exact sequencing is worth a look at the in-game (i) panel, which spells out the active rules for the build you are on.
Part of reading a pokie properly is knowing what is missing. Book of 99 carries no progressive and no fixed jackpot — the headline number is a theoretical maximum, not a pooled prize that ticks upward. There is also no published bonus buy: you cannot pay to jump straight into the free spins, and regulated jurisdictions commonly restrict feature-buy features anyway. Beyond the single free-spins round there is no second bonus mode. None of that is a knock — it is why the game's value lives in its 99% return rather than in gimmicks.
Book of 99 is a light-hearted cartoon take on Homer's Odyssey. The reels are framed by a bright, storybook palette, with Odysseus as the top character symbol and the Cyclops (Polyphemus), Calypso and Kirki filling out the premium row. It is a 2021 build, so the animation is tidy rather than cinematic — the expanding symbol stretching across a reel during free spins is the moment that earns its keep. The soundtrack is a soft mythic theme that lifts as Books collect and the 99-book meter creeps toward a trigger.
Book of 99 runs on a 5×3 grid with 10 fixed paylines that pay left-to-right. Greek premiums pay from 2 on a line and the low royals from 3. Relax Gaming doesn’t publish a fixed public multiplier chart per symbol, so the table below is the payout-tier ranking plus each symbol’s role — open the in-game paytable panel for the exact ×. The Book is the symbol that carries the game: it is both Wild and Scatter.
We don’t print a per-symbol multiplier chart because Relax Gaming doesn’t release one as a fixed public figure — the exact × for each symbol shows in the game’s own paytable, so open the (i) screen before you stake. What is clear is the shape: the low royals (10 up to A) pay the least, the four Greek premiums pay more, and Odysseus is the top premium. The real upside sits in free spins, where the randomly chosen character expands to fill its reel and pays scatter-style across every position. On the ceiling: Relax Gaming states a provider cap of 5,000× your bet — about A$5,000 from a A$1 spin — while aggregators have published a simulated ceiling of up to 12,075× (roughly A$12,075 at A$1), which is a simulated figure, not Relax Gaming’s stated cap. There is no progressive or fixed jackpot: the maximum is a theoretical cap.
The catch with a 99% RTP pokie: many casinos exclude high-RTP games from bonus wagering, or count them at a reduced weighting, so playing Book of 99 with deposit-match funds can slow — or even void — a bonus. Wagering (or playthrough) is simply the number of times you must bet a bonus before you can withdraw it, and Book of 99 rarely helps you clear it. Check the bonus T&Cs before you opt in. And the bigger point for Australians: online pokies can't be lawfully offered here, so Book of 99 is offshore-only. The honest routes below are the free demo, the IGA-2001 / ACMA reality, and our audited real-money list — where the practical rails are PayID and bank transfer (credit cards are banned for AU online wagering).
Sentiment here is aggregated from major slot-review platforms and community forums, then cross-checked against an independent expert-review site (~4.5/5, July 2026). The recurring praise is the 99% RTP — players report it stretches a session further than a typical 96% pokie — plus the 99-book collection meter as a fresh mechanic and the polished cartoon Greek-Odyssey visuals. The recurring gripe is variance: quiet, low-paying base spins and a 5,000× cap that feels far away. In short, sentiment matches the maths — value praised, variance the complaint. All feedback below is anonymised and paraphrased — source-type, date and rating only.
The recurring praise is the 99% RTP — players report it stretches a bankroll noticeably further than a typical 96% pokie, so the same stake buys a longer session before the balance runs down.
The 99-book collection meter is singled out as a fresh mechanic — banking books toward a guaranteed free-spins trigger gives the base game a goal beyond waiting on scatters, which players find keeps a dry run engaging.
A common gripe is “dead”, low-paying base spins — long dry stretches where little lands, which reviewers tie to the game's high volatility rather than any fault in the payout engine.
Feedback is split: the maths and long-run value are respected, but several players find the base spins quiet between features and say the single free-spins round limits variety. Good value, thin on action.
The harshest reviews target the collection meter — the final books can take many spins with no tease pays, and a few players call the meter “deceptive”. The 5,000× cap is also felt to be well out of reach.
An independent expert-review site rated it around 4.5/5, praising the polished cartoon Greek-Odyssey visuals and Odysseus as the top premium symbol alongside class-leading value.
Facts change — RTP configurations can be adjusted at operator level, AU rules evolve, and provider spec sheets are revised. We date-stamp every change to this Book of 99 review below, and each entry is initialled by the responsible editor.
July 2026: initial AU review published — full Book of 99 analysis with honest A$ bankroll maths
Pre-publication fact-check and responsible-gambling review
This page version is v1.0, published 01 July 2026. Older versions, once they exist, will be archived in our internal CMS and can be requested for citation purposes by emailing [email protected]. Major updates trigger a fresh review; minor updates are factual corrections only.
Reviews are only as trustworthy as the people behind them. Below is the editorial team behind this Book of 99 review — reviewer, QA/responsible-gambling auditor and editor-in-chief — plus the affiliate disclosure that keeps our commercial relationships transparent.
Claire reviews pokies for Australian players, focusing on what a game's published RTP and volatility actually mean for an A$ bankroll. Her work centres on RTP verification and game-library analysis — she reads the provider spec sheet and the in-game paytable rather than leaning on a single short session. This review was tech- and QA-reviewed, and responsible-gambling checked, by Andrew Murray (Compliance & RG Auditor) and edited and signed off by David Clarke, Editor-in-Chief.
Disclosure. SlotsGamblers earns commission from casino operators when readers register through tracked outbound links — we may earn a commission from operator links. This commission does not influence the editorial score — the RTP, volatility, feature analysis and player-review sentiment stay identical regardless of any commercial relationship. Online casino pokies cannot be lawfully offered to Australians under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, so Book of 99 is offshore-only; we flag that reality honestly, and any game scored below our recommendation threshold is flagged regardless of revenue potential.
Book of 99 is Relax Gaming's headline high-RTP title, so its natural peers are other 99%-class classics and book-style pokies — plus one deliberately higher-variance guide for contrast. You'll find more of the studio's work in our Relax Gaming pokie reviews. These are internal reviews and guides for Australian players, not a rival top-10: just fair alternatives that suit the same value-first profile.
Because online pokies can't be lawfully offered to Australians under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, we don't name specific operators as carrying Book of 99 — no Australian-licensed site does, and it appears on offshore sites only (many of which ACMA blocks). Instead, here are the three honest routes with what each one actually gives you. Age 18+.
If you do choose to play offshore for money, the practical rails are PayID and bank transfer — credit cards are banned for online wagering in Australia — with crypto as an offshore fallback that carries volatility risk. Offshore casinos aren't consumer-protected under AU law: you give up regulator recourse, BetStop self-exclusion coverage and any payout guarantee. If cash-out speed matters most, see our verified fastest-payout audits.
Real questions from readers, answered by Claire Wilson within 48 hours. No moderation beyond spam-removal — including critical questions about our methodology or operator picks.
Everyone quotes Book of 99 at a 99% RTP. Is that number actually real, or just marketing — and does it change from casino to casino?
It's real. 99.00% is Relax Gaming's single published configuration, and it's one of the highest theoretical returns on any pokie — a roughly 1% house edge on turnover, versus the 4–5% you hand over on a typical 96% pokie. Two caveats. That figure is theoretical and long-run: Book of 99 is high volatility, so a short session can land well above or well below 99%. And an operator can in principle license a reduced build, so open the in-game (i)/paytable and confirm it reads 99.00% before you deposit — if it shows anything lower, that operator is running a cut-down config and you should pick another.
I've collected loads on the 99-book meter but it seems to crawl near the top. Why does the meter stall so close to 99 — is it rigged?
It isn't stalling by design — it's variance. Every book or wild you collect in the base game banks toward the 99-book meter, and reaching 99 awards 10 free spins on its own, with no scatters needed on that spin. But the last books carry the same odds as the first, so late in the count you can grind through many spins with no tease pays. That's the high-volatility maths, not the game slowing down or cheating you. Some players call the meter deceptive for exactly that reason; it isn't rigged — Relax Gaming holds an MGA B2B and UKGC B2B licence. Treat the meter as a slow-burn second route into the bonus, and size your stake so a cold run doesn't end the session.
Two things: can I even play Book of 99 legally in Australia, and once I'm in the free spins, can they retrigger?
On availability — online pokies can't be lawfully offered to Australians under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, so no Australian-licensed site carries Book of 99; it appears on offshore sites only, many of which ACMA blocks. The law targets operators, not players, and those offshore sites aren't consumer-protected under AU law — the free demo above is the zero-risk route. On retriggers — yes: landing 3 or more books during the free-spins round re-triggers another 10 spins, and there's no published limit on how often that can chain. The expanding symbol chosen at the start stays fixed for the whole feature, so each retrigger keeps that same character expanding across its reel.
Australia regulates this space at the operator level. The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 makes it unlawful to offer real-money online pokies to Australians, and the ACMA routinely has offending offshore sites blocked by Australian internet providers. The law targets the companies, not you — playing is not the offence, offering is. That is also why no operator anywhere holds an Australian licence for a real-money Book of 99 game: any site taking your A$ on it is licensed offshore, outside Australian consumer protection.
Two practical consequences follow. First, the free demo is the clean route — it is legal to play, and because this pokie's appeal is mathematical (the 99.00% theoretical RTP, the 99-book collection meter, the provider-stated 5,000× ceiling), the demo shows you everything the funded version would, minus the deposit risk. Second, if you do choose an offshore site, treat it as an unprotected environment: high volatility means long losing stretches are normal here, so the A$ bankroll maths further up this page matters more than it would in a licensed market, and your dispute routes are thin if a withdrawal stalls.
Set your limits before the first spin, not after a losing run. If play stops feeling like entertainment, Gambling Help Online offers free, confidential support across Australia on 1800 858 858, around the clock.
Play within your limits
Online pokies are designed to lose more than they pay over time — even Book of 99's class-leading 99.00% theoretical RTP still leaves a structural 1% house edge over the long run. Gambling must stay entertainment, never a way to make money or recover losses. If it stops being fun, free, confidential help is available 24/7 right across Australia.
Warning signs to stop: chasing losses, betting more than you can afford, borrowing to gamble, hiding play from family, or gambling to escape stress. If any of these sound familiar, set a deposit limit, take a cooling-off break, or self-exclude using the tools below.
Must be 18+ to gamble in Australia. Online casino pokies can't be lawfully offered to Australians, so Book of 99 is offshore-only, and ACMA blocks many offshore sites — those that remain aren't consumer-protected under AU law.
Gambling Help Online gives free, confidential support 24/7 by phone, chat or email for anyone affected by gambling.
Support is free and confidential right across Australia — you don't need to be in crisis to reach out or to set limits early.
Gambling Help Online offers 24/7 counselling, self-assessments and advice on keeping play safe before things escalate.
Set deposit and time limits and take cooling-off breaks from your account. Note that BetStop — the National Self-Exclusion Register — binds Australian-licensed wagering providers but does not reach offshore casinos.
Because Book of 99 is offshore-only for Australians, the strongest safeguards are your own deposit limits, the free demo, and knowing when to stop.
Gambling is for entertainment, not income. You must be 18+ to gamble in Australia. Set deposit limits, take cooling-off breaks, and never chase losses. The services above are free and confidential. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858. When the fun stops, stop.
Real questions from search, player-review threads and our hands-on session — answered clearly in plain en-AU, with no marketing copy and no hidden T&Cs. Facts match Relax Gaming's spec: 99.00% RTP, a 5,000× max win and no jackpot.
Book of 99 is a Relax Gaming video slot on a 5-reel, 3-row grid with 10 fixed paylines, themed on Ancient Greek myth with Odysseus as the top symbol. The book acts as both wild and scatter — it substitutes and it pays.
Land 3 or more books for 10 free spins, or fill the 99-book collection meter in the base game to trigger the same round. Before free spins, one character symbol is chosen at random and expands to fill its reel. RTP is a class-leading 99.00% and volatility is High.
Under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, online casino pokies can't be lawfully offered to Australians, and no Australian-licensed site carries Book of 99. It appears on offshore sites only — many of which ACMA blocks — and those sites aren't consumer-protected under AU law.
The law targets operators, not players. The zero-risk option is the free demo above; if you choose to play for money, use our audited real-money list and read the risks first.
Every book (wild/scatter) you collect in the base game banks toward the 99-book collection meter. Reaching 99 triggers 10 free spins regardless of how many books landed on that spin — a second route into the bonus alongside the usual 3+ scatters.
Before the round begins, one character symbol is chosen at random to expand across its reel and pay scatter-style. Confirm the exact behaviour in the in-game rules.
A free Book of 99 demo (play money, no deposit, no signup) is widely available on review and aggregator sites, and the game runs in HTML5 directly in your browser — no download needed.
The demo is the best way to feel the high volatility and how the 99-book meter progresses before any real-money decision. Just note the demo won't reproduce a specific operator's active RTP config — check the in-game (i) for that if you switch to real play.
At a 99.00% RTP the long-run house edge is about 1% of turnover, so wagering A$100 through Book of 99 carries a theoretical cost of roughly A$1 — not A$1 off your deposit on every spin.
High volatility means the real short-session range is far wider: you can lose most of a A$100 bankroll on a cold run or hit a big free-spins line. Use the session-value calculator above to model spins and risk bands for your own stake.
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 targets operators, not players, so individuals are not typically prosecuted for using offshore casinos — that isn't the practical risk. What you give up matters more.
Off an AU-regulated wagering provider there's no BetStop self-exclusion cover, no ACMA-backed dispute recourse, and no guarantee a withdrawal is honoured. Many offshore sites are ACMA-blocked, and payout delays there usually come down to KYC. The zero-risk route is the free demo.
The published theoretical RTP is 99.00% — one of the highest in the market and a single published configuration. Relax Gaming doesn't publish a lower-RTP variant.
Operators can in principle run reduced builds, so open the in-game (i)/paytable and read the active RTP shown there before you deposit.
Yes. Landing 3 or more books during the free-spins round awards another 10 free spins, and the round can retrigger again from there.
The randomly chosen expanding symbol stays in play for the whole round, which is where the top wins build.
No. The 99.00% RTP is the same whether you bet A$0.20 or A$100 a spin — stake size doesn't change the odds or the return.
Bet a level your bankroll can sustain across a High-volatility game. A bigger stake only makes the swings larger, not the RTP better.
Relax Gaming states a maximum win of 5,000× your bet — A$5,000 from a A$1 spin. Some aggregators publish a simulated ceiling of up to 12,075× (about A$12,075 at A$1), but that's a simulated figure, not Relax Gaming's stated cap.
There's no jackpot and no feature buy — the max win is a fixed theoretical cap.
Only real-money play at a licensed casino can pay out; the free demo pays nothing and is for practice.
Relax Gaming is an established studio — it holds an MGA B2B Critical Supply Licence and a UKGC B2B account, a positive trust signal. That said, no game guarantees a win on a High-volatility pokie, and for Australians it's offshore-only.